Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a method of providing virtual function keys on a display device, and more particularly to a method for providing a virtual function keys corresponding to a foreground application.
Related Art
As the computing speed of the computer increase, users can execute more applications at the same time. In order to switch or operate smoothly between multiple applications, it is common to switch or operate the application by a keyboard. Generally, the keyboard includes a typing key area, a specific function area, a numeric keypad, and an editing keypad; wherein the functions such as renaming, searching, rearranging, etc. provided by function keys (Function Key, F1 key to F12 key) located in the specific function area have been printed on the key cap. However, in order to meet the needs of different users for quick operation of the application, the user prefers to be able to customize or expand the quick operation items represented by the function keys. There are also a variety of software available on the market for users to define their own function keys for quick operation.
As the number of applications such as office software, drawing software, web browsers, games, etc. that users execute at the same time increases, the limited number of function keys set a limit to the number of the new functions that can be added, which in turn causes users have to remember which applications correspond to which quick keys. Once a new application is installed, the user may have to switch to the application and be forced to modify the previously set script file. Repeating the button setting and reloading one of the multiple script files that have been set up undoubtedly bring a lot of inconvenience and trouble to the user. Furthermore, when the user need to execute an application, because the user has had a certain period of time since the last operation, the user may easily forget the operation item corresponding to the function key that was originally set, and cannot enjoy the benefits of changing button function to provide quick start or input instructions.
Although in some commercially available software, a function bar can be displayed on the screen to give the user hints for the previously set function keys and their corresponding operation items, this type of function bar can only display the contents in a set of function key configuration files. When the user frequently switches the currently operated application, the items displayed on the function bar must still be updated by reloading. In addition, the common function bars of nowadays often can only give hints, and cannot be operated directly by the user's mouse to execute the operation items designated by the function keys. Therefore, the user's sight must therefore be switched back and forth between the application, the function bar and the physical keyboard, so as to correctly press the desired function key on the keyboard. Thus, said software cannot meet the fast and accurate requirements in application operation.